Seniors in Citrus, Hernando and Marion County can receive Moderna COVID-19 vaccinations at 22 select Publix Supermarkets beginning Friday, January 8. Publix will start taking appointments tomorrow.

Through a partnership with Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) and Florida Department of Health (FDOH) Publix is receiving 15,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine as part of a new pilot program to distribute the vaccine at its stores.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced this new program yesterday at a new Publix vaccination site in Ocala.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to increase vaccinations and put Florida’s seniors first, I’m pleased to announce this innovative partnership with Publix,” said DeSantis. “At the end of the day, we are all in this together, and the state of Florida thanks Publix for their willingness to step up and lend their infrastructure to this critical cause.”

All vaccinations by Publix at their select locations will be by appointment only. Beginning Thursday, January 7, qualified individuals can make an appointment by visiting www.publix.com/covidvaccine.

The 22 pilot locations include three stores in Citrus County, 11 in Hernando County, and eight in Marion County.

A report issued by the Florida Department of Health shows 289,773 people in Florida have received either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine as of Tuesday. That includes 1,997 people who have received two doses of the vaccine, as recommended by the federal government.

State health officials posted 15,431 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, breaking the previous record set in July. Yesterday also saw 98 new deaths from the virus, and the number of hospitalizations in Florida of patients with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19 is now up to 7,354, according to the state’s official tracking site.